Les juristes du Mataroa

Cet article expose le parcours de 11 des 18 juristes qui ont pris place sur le Mataroa et dont l’auteur a retrouvé la trace. Rentrés ensuite en Grèce, mais conservant tous des liens étroits avec leur seconde patrie, ils prirent part à la reconstruction du pays dans les années 1950, tout en participant au rétablissement progressif de la normalité parlementaire et à l’émergence de ce qu’on appelle le Printemps de 1960

Biweekly carboplatin/gemcitabine in patients with advanced urothelial cancer who are unfit for cisplatin-based chemotherapy: report of efficacy, quality of life and geriatric assessment

Objective: We evaluated safety and efficacy of first-line gemcitabine/carboplatin in unfit-for-cisplatin patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma and the effect on the quality of life and functional status of elderly patients (aged >70). Methods: Unfit patients had ECOG performance status (PS) ≥2, creatinine clearance <50 ml/min or comorbidities precluding cisplatin administration. Carboplatin at area under the curve of 2.5 and gemcitabine 1,250 mg/m2 were administered biweekly. Elderly patients were stratified into group 1 (no activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental ADL dependency and no comorbidities), group 2 (instrumental ADL dependency or 1-2 comorbidities) and group 3 (ADL dependency or ≥2 comorbidities). Results: Thirty-four patients were enrolled: 68% had PS 2-3, 69% a creatinine clearance <50 ml/min and 65% had 1 or more comorbidities. There were 3 cases of grade 3 toxicity (9%). Response rate was 24% [95% confidence interval (CI) 11-41]. Median follow-up was 8 months, median progression-free survival 4.4 months (95% CI 1.03-7.75) and median overall survival 9.8 months (95% CI 4.7-14.9). Patients in geriatric assessment groups 1 and 2 had a significantly longer median progression-free survival compared to group 3 [6.9 months (95% CI 1.3-12.4) vs. 1.9 months (95% CI 0.5-3.2); p = 0.005]. Conclusion: First-line gemcitabine/carboplatin combination is active in unfit-for-cisplatin patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma. Pretreatment quality of life and geriatric assessment may be useful in selecting patients likely to benefit from this treatment. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG

Biweekly doxorubicin/ketoconazole as second-line treatment in docetaxel-resistant, hormone-refractory prostate cancer

OBJECTIVES Docetaxel is an effective first-line treatment for hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Nevertheless, the prognosis subsequent to progression after first-line therapy is poor and no second-line treatment has been established. METHODS A total of 34 patients with androgen-independent prostate cancer received doxorubicin, 30 mg/m(2), every 2 weeks and ketoconazole daily, 400 mg orally every 8 hours. All patients had been treated with docetaxel and had disease progression within 6 months after completion of first-line treatment. RESULTS Of the 32 evaluable patients, 13 (43.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 26.3% to 62.3%) had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response, and 4 (28%, 95% CI 8.4% to 58.1%) of 14 patients with measurable disease had a response to therapy. The median time to progression (TTP) was 3.9 months (95% CI 2.0 to 5.9), and the median overall survival (OS) was 13 months (95% Cl 8.7 to 17.3). Toxicity was mild, with only 4 cases of nonhematologic grade 3 or 4 toxicity. The most frequent toxicity was nail changes (33 of 34 patients), which was mainly grade 1 (30 cases). CONCLUSIONS The combination of biweekly doxorubicin and ketoconazole is an effective, well-tolerated, second-line therapy for hormone-refractory prostate cancer

Mataroa 1945 : du mythe à l’histoire

Navire militaire affrété par l’Institut français d’Athènes en décembre 1945, le Mataroa a permis à plus d’une centaine de jeunes Grecs de quitter la Grèce et de rejoindre Tarente, en Italie, avec pour destination finale Paris. Quittant un pays en ruine, profondément affaibli par la guerre et au seuil de la guerre civile, ceux-ci ont ainsi pu être accueillis en France, y mener leurs études et carrière dans des domaines aussi variés que la philosophie, la sculpture, l’architecture, la musique, etc. Au cœur de cette expédition, le directeur de l’Institut français d’Athènes de l’époque, Octave Merlier, qui rendit possible cette opération, aux allures d’épopée moderne. Longtemps passé sous silence, ce voyage constitue sans conteste l’un des événements les plus marquants de l’histoire franco-grecque de l’après-guerre. S’appuyant sur un matériel d’archives inédit, ce volume vise à offrir un éclairage historique et critique à cet événement, tantôt oblitéré, tantôt mythifié, part intégrante de la mémoire des échanges entre les deux pays.The Mataroa, a military vessel chartered by the French Institute at Athens in December 1945, enabled more than a hundred young Greeks to leave Greece, reaching first Taranto, Italy, and finally arriving in Paris. Leaving a country that was in ruins, deeply weakened by war and on the verge of civil war, they were thus welcomed in France, to pursue their studies and careers in fields as varied as philosophy, sculpture, architecture, music, etc. At the heart of this expedition was the director of the French Institute at Athens at that time, Octave Merlier, who made this operation, which looks like a modern epic, possible. Long overlooked, this trip is undoubtedly one of the most significant events in post-war Franco-Greek history. Based on unpublished archival material, this volume aims to shed historical and critical light on this event, sometimes obliterated, sometimes mythologized, but an integral part of the memory of the exchanges between the two countries